Sunday, April 28, 2013

Every other Sunday I like to feature an artist from Etsy and his/her shop. Today I'm pleased to introduce you to Yael Berger of The Joy of Color. Please take a few minutes to learn more about her and her beautiful work!

My Name is Yael Berger I live in Givataim, small town near Tel Aviv. My greatest passion is for color and Pattern. This is the origin of my Etsy shop name: TheJoyofColor. My favorite medium is watercolor and I also enjoy painting with Acrylic on paper or Canvas. Natures, every day objects and folk art inspire me and make me happy. My all time favorite and inspiring artist is Henri Matisse. As a minimalist at heart I try to keep the shapes as simple as possible and let the color talk. I hope my optimism, and the joy I feel when creating is reflected in my paintings.

I really love the deer watercolor. Till 2 years ago I painted mostly floral, landscapes and fruits this was one of my first attempts to paint an animal and I was happy to discover. It became one of the favorite prints in my shop.

I am a textile designer (BA Shenkar College). I worked in the fashion and home textile industry for more then 20 years. I had my own design studio and sold funky printed T's. Then I worked (16 years) for a leading company of socks and underwear called Delta Galil LTD, as a senior sock designer and stylist. It was and interesting and challenging job as I designed for mass, mid market and for brands like Nike, Hugo Boss, Mexx.... I traveled a lot to Europe and the USA, met some very nice people, got a lot of experience in design, styling, marketing...

In 2007 I made a big change in my life I quit my day job as a Textile designer for a major textile company in Israel, in pursue of more artistic and relaxed path. Now days I combine painting and running my Etsy shop with design projects for few Israeli companies. I design mainly prints for a wide range of products, from socks to schoolbags, housewares and more. I like that I can combine my love to design and the artistic path, in more relaxed ways than in did in the past.

I hope my optimism, and the joy I feel when creating is reflected in my paintings and Prints.. Natures, every day objects and folk art inspire me and make me happy . As a minimalist at heart I try to keep the shapes as simple as possible and let the color speak. I do hope that my work will bring you joy and happiness.

Are you an Etsy shop owner and interested in being featured? Do you write fabulous content and would you like to write a guest article? Email me so I can send you my sample interview questions and blog guidelines!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

I have to share with you this photo of my gorgeous Christmas cactus. Yes, it's April and the plant decided to bloom. Not that I mind...I always enjoy having flowers in my home!

Why it's blooming now, I can't say. Something in its chemistry, in its environment, makes it happy right now.I was never interested in gardening growing up. In fact, it would be more accurate to say I had a true disdain for the activity and wanted nothing to do with it. So imagine everyone's surprise when I developed the proverbial green thumb.I don't know how I developed a skill. I do read some, and I've always learned by the trial and error method. Along the way I've picked up two tonics (and one variation) that I use when watering my plants:

Coffee water. Yep. Mother introduced me to this one. I add the leftover morning coffee to my watering pot then top it off with tap water. I highly recommend diluting the coffee and not pouring it straight onto your plants. Otherwise your plants will smell like...well...coffee. (If you like a coffee fragrance in your home, I can introduce you to a lovely Hazelnut Latte candle!)

Tea water. This is a variation of coffee water. If you're a tea, not a coffee drinker, start with tea as your base then top off your pot with tap water. I've found tea water best to use when the tea is too old to drink.

My secret tonic water. Actually, I was introduced to this "recipe" many years ago when I used to watch the Lynette Jennings show on the Discovery Channel. Take a used steel wool pad and drop it in tap water. I use an old plastic coffee can and used SOS pads. Let the water cure for at least a week before use. Add one cup of the tonic to your watering pot before topping with tap water.

All three tonics will be brown, and you'll wonder why in the world to use such a yucky combination on your plants. Trust me, they work!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Like most bloggers, I work to find ideas for content. Like most bloggers, I work to find ways to bring additional readers to my blog. And like most business owners, I work to find ways to connect all my marketing content.

So I had a V-8 moment last week when I came across an idea on how to combine all three.

Add your electronic newsletters to your blog.

Like I said - a V-8 moment. You know, the way you slap yourself on the forehead when you realize the obvious is right in front of you.

Last fall I wrote a series of posts about how to develop your newsletter content, how to create your electronic newsletter, and how to market your newsletter and yourself. I truly don't know why it did not occur to me to add my newsletter to my blog.

I wish I could find the article I had read which gave me the idea. Prior to writing this post, I spent an hour looking in the usual places where I store similar gems I find. But alas, it's nowhere to be found. So, without that article as my resource, I'll give you a few reasons why I think adding your newsletter to your blog is such a great idea:

Most newsletters are written with customer-friendly content. Most blogs (this one included) struggle with writing content that is customer-specific. Adding your newsletters to your blog enables your customers to search your "archives" in an easier format to learn more about your and your product.

As your customers spend more time "in" your blog, the more they learn about your. Think about it - your newsletter represents how your product and your brand have evolved. The more your customers learn about you, the more making a purchase from you is a personal decision, rather than a business decision.

Past newsletters give your customers a glimpse into your future. For example, I have featured Strawberry scents as the Fragrance of the Month for the past two years in June. What are the odds I'll over it again this year? This can help your customers plan their future purchases.

Your newsletters and your blogs can support each other, driving content from one to the other. In addition to linking your products in your newsletter back to your shop, your newsletter can link to your blog for more information. Again, try to keep your customers' attention as long as possible.

Adding newsletters together with the appropriate tags can help optimize your search engine results. Aren't we always looking for ways to do that?

So, in the spirit of transparency, click here to view my April newsletter! Seriously, you'll soon see my blog updated with a link to all my past electronic newsletters. I challenge you to do the same!

Happy sales!

Dorene

P.S. - I'll add the link to the article I read with more information....just as soon as I find it!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Every other Sunday I like to show my appreciation to the curators who have featured my products in their treasuries. These collections are so important as they help to market our products to an audience we might otherwise not be able to reach.